Prepositions Worksheet: Year 6 SATs SPaG

Year 6 SATs SPaG worksheet on prepositions: 20 questions in the style of the SATs, with answers. Free PDF.

3-page A4 PDF from the Tiger Shark Education question bank (Word classes): two pages of questions (circle or underline) and an answer page. Example questions: Circle the two prepositions. I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast. / Circle the preposition. He sat beside the window.

What is a preposition? A preposition shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word, often telling us where or when: under the table, after lunch, during the storm, despite the rain. Prepositions are followed by a noun, pronoun or noun phrase. Common examples include in, on, at, under, before, through, between and since.

Common mistakes and tips: The most common confusion is between prepositions and subordinating conjunctions, because some words can be both. In ‘after lunch’ after is a preposition, but in ‘after we ate’ it is a conjunction because a clause follows. Ask children what follows the word: a noun phrase means a preposition, a clause with its own verb means a conjunction. The SATs often check exactly this distinction.

This topic is part of the Year 6 English grammar, punctuation and spelling curriculum and appears in the SATs. Because the test uses precise terminology, practising with the correct terms here helps children recognise what a question is asking.

How teachers use it: as a ten-minute daily grammar slot, as a homework task, or as part of a mixed revision pack in the run-up to the SATs. Pairs can work through it and compare answers before checking the answer page. Revisiting the same topic a few weeks later is an effective way to check retention.

Building understanding, not just recognition: the SATs ask children to identify features, but the real aim is for them to use grammar confidently in their own writing. After completing the sheet, ask pupils to find examples of the topic in a class text and discuss why the author used them. Then set a short writing task where the feature must be used deliberately, such as a paragraph of a story or a piece of non-fiction. Shared editing, where the class improves a weak sentence together, is a powerful way to show the effect of a grammatical choice. Linking grammar to purpose and effect helps children remember the terminology, because it becomes a tool rather than a label.